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Andronikou: I tried everything to keep Grant at Portsmouth

Portsmouth administrator Andrew Andronikou insists he tried all he could to keep Avram Grant.

West Ham now appears to be the likely destination for Grant following last night's decision to quit the Blues. However, FC Twente, Celtic and clubs from Spain and Italy have also been knocking on his door.

Andronikou promised Pompey fans he did everything in his power to retain the services of the popular boss.

He told the Portsmouth News: "We have done our best to try to keep the manager in place, but there have been other clubs looking at him. I can genuinely say Avram cares about Portsmouth. He is very much concerned about where the club is and where it is going.

"If there was no interest in him he would stay, I know that 100 per cent. It would not be a problem. But he is in demand and you have got to be realistic. His stock value is very high and understandably so.

"You could not ask him to do any more for this club than he has done. Those clubs talked about were bound to interest him. Even so, I was talking to him on a day-by-day basis and he was still making up his mind.

"It was a huge decision for him and in the end he went back to Israel to think about it. Over there he probably reflected on life and thought about whether he feels he could stay on and take the club back up.

"In the end he made his decision and we have to respect that. But rest assured, we did everything we could to convince him not to leave this football club."